Boys Tennis: Red Wing starts season with win over Winona

The Red Wing boys tennis team got the season started right with a 5-2 victory against Winona Tuesday in Winona.

Despite missing three starters due to the Missota Conference Music Festival, the Wingers (1-0) had little trouble getting past Winona.

“I think it went really well,” Red Wing head coach Randy Decker said. “We had our top four singles players. I felt pretty comfortable going in and they played well.”

Senior George Gabrielson started slow but defeated Jake Allen 7-6, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. He was down 5-2 in the first set before making a charge and coasting to victory in the second set, Decker said.

“It was a combination of things,” Decker said. “He started out a little rocky. The other guy was in the zone, the other guy was playing well. (Gabrielson) got his confidence going and he rolled the rest of the way … He really played well at the end. He’s certainly someone I have no concerns about.”

Isaac Toivonen, a sophomore, made quick work at No. 2 singles, defeating Aaron Appicelli 6-1, 6-0. Sophomore Noah Christenson won 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3 singles and sophomore Alex Holm defeated Blake Watts 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4 singles despite spending most of his day at an airport and on an airplane. He woke up at 4 a.m. to catch a flight back home from spring break but made it back just in time, Decker said.

“Alex Holm had a flight delay,” he said. “He barely made the match. I was impressed with his efforts because that’s a long day.”

Sophomores Nick Powers and Marcus Veith won their match at No. 1 doubles 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 and eighth-grader Sam Hanson and ninth-grader Josh Lyons impressed Decker with their performance despite losing 6-3, 7-6. Hanson was a late replacement from the junior varsity team and played well, Decker said.

“Last minute, I said, ‘Hey Sam, guess what, you’re playing on varsity,’” Decker said. “They were playing against a couple older guys. They hung in there, competed hard and kept it close. They were down quite a bit early in both sets. They did a great job.”

Red Wing travels to face Hastings Wednesday in an important section matchup, Decker said.

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